This invention relates to a rule processing, but more specifically to a method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium that provides selection advice during rule processing utilizing a binary decision diagram (BDD) or zero-suppressed binary decision diagram (ZDD) to express a rule model.
In the referenced, incorporated applications, advice provided by results of rule processing guides an end user in at least two ways. First, conflict advice may be provided to indicate compatibility of user selection(s) regarding components of a product or service. Second, to help guide the user to achieve compatibility, selection advice may be provided to indicate alternative selection(s) that would render the result compatible and/or incompatible relative to the selected components.
To provide greater convenience to the user when using a rule processing system or method, it is desirable to provide more user-friendly interface to obtain results more rapidly. For example, instead of limiting user selection to a single set of possible specifications, it is desirable to enable the user to specify simultaneously many alternative specifications and to provide at the same time multiple possible selections from which the user may choose. In addition, it is also desired to speed execution of a results determination by eliminating nonessential information in the rule set, as determined by user selections.
Thus, the improvements herein primarily relate to selection advice provided to the user during rule processing.